Forgotten Love Returns
by zewing
Summary: A bounty hunt that cost each their memory. Both don't know who the other is but are told they belong together. But some take love the wrong way and despise a certain someone for his past.
1. Prologue

**Inspiration from this story stems from Jbv's "Do you remember me?" story. Sadly it may never be completed. Shoutouts to Phantomfoxx for once again helping me come up with this story idea.**

**This story is rated T but beware of strong language. Also I could only include 4 characters but in reality this story will have Fox, Krystal, Fara, Fay, and Miyu.**

**MAKE SURE YOU READ THE BACKGROUND. I changed things around after Assault and didn't include a specific ending to Star Fox Command so I guess this is a post-Assault pseudo AU.**

**Thank you Order and Chaos - Qui Iudicant for showing me a lot of errors in my writing. I'll use this info and update all my other chapters of my other story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox**

* * *

**Background:**

Popularity is something many want but can't have. Some earn it while others inherit it. Star Fox became the perfect combination of both, at least the crew with Fox McCloud did.

After the Lylat War ended against Andross, Star Fox became the single most popular and most talked about subject in Lylat. But as much as the team became revered it was Fox McCloud that had the biggest spotlight upon him. The media followed him everywhere and documented everything he did. It wasn't until eight years after Venom fell that the team became involved in an event that bolstered their popularity even more, the Saurian Crisis.

Not many understood or even knew what truly took place on that planet. The planet, originally named Dinosaur Planet until General Pepper designated it as Sauria, had little time remaining before it imploded and went supernova. Sauria held an incredibly strong abundance of magical energy that became unbalanced which is why it, even though not a star, could supernova. Not many people believe this or even understand why one team of mercenaries was sent instead of an entire team of scientists and whatnot but the end result proved that Star Fox once again was reliable enough to handle just about any mission given. Only three things were certain to the public:

1. Andross revived himself and planned on wrecking havoc across Lylat once again, at least until Fox McCloud took him down.

2. Falco Lombardi returned to the team from his near seven year hiatus.

3. Star Fox gained its first female member which instantly started a media frenzy of a possible relationship between her and Fox.

The mere fact Andross involved himself in the Saurian incident forced General Pepper's hand and he agreed to pay the team an outstanding bonus fee. This fee allowed the team to upgrade their own ship, which desperately needed it. Not a moment too soon as Star Fox's new ship, dubbed _Great Fox II_, was called into action during the Oikonny Rebellion which, almost immediately following the defeat of Oikonny, led to them being serviced during the Aparoid Invasion.

The Aparoids, an enemy hell-bent on the genocide of everything in Lylat, proved to be quite a challenge to get rid of. They took down key positions on Katina, Corneria, Sauria, and even Fichina with almost no effort. With the combined efforts of Star Fox, Star Wolf, Beltino Toad, and the remains of Corneria's army, the Aparoids became extinct with the death of their queen.

Once again Star Fox's popularity grew but it wasn't only due to the war. The Aparoids left a path of unheard of destruction. Star Fox took it upon themselves to visit each and every planet affected in order to provide a morale boost.

Not long after the team started visiting the other planets did Slippy and Falco leave. Slippy had a family he wanted to start and Falco couldn't stand the speeches being given and lack of blasters being fired.

This left Fox and Krystal (and R.O.B) as the only members remaining of Star Fox. Life for both became more passionate, almost a dream come true. Sadly, only one and a half years later, that dream came to an end. During one of the teams visits to Fortuna to provide their services in any way possible, a car bomb exploded near Krystal and Fox's ride. It became clear that the bomb had meant to take the two members of Star Fox. It was luck the bomb blew up the wrong car, but luck can only last so long.

Fox became scared, distant even. He almost lost Krystal the same way he lost his mother. He made a choice to remove Krystal from the team any way necessary.

But he didn't use his head enough. Krystal didn't have a home to go to besides the shelter _Great Fox II _provided her with. No relatives, no home, no one willing to hire an ex-Star Fox member. She could have went to General Peppy to ask for guidance but she, along with Fox, let her emotions cloud her thought processes.

She went directly to Star Wolf. All it took, besides Panther's support to get her on the team, was her proclaiming how she despised Fox.

For two and a half years Star Fox and Star Wolf went about their business as usual, aside from Star Wolf. Following the events of the Aparoid Invasion and having known Star Wolf played a vital role in it, Corneria agreed to give Star Wolf immunity over past crimes. One false move, however, would force Corneria to revoke said immunity and hunt them down with extreme prejudice. It wasn't until the Anglar Blitz did the two teams meet up again.

The rivalry between Star Fox and Star Wolf shimmered down exceptionally since the Aparoid Invasion. Both were on mutual terms with one another, especially since Fox didn't have it in himself to take on the same team Krystal became a part of. Once the Anglars struck, Falco and Slippy returned to Star Fox as both they and Star Wolf teamed up to take down the Anglar Emperor. Their combined efforts thwarted another great disaster to plague Lylat.

Both teams took equal praise in the conflict. Star Wolf had the trust of Corneria itself which meant they could take on jobs similar to Star Fox without being judged harshly. Slippy returned to Aquas once again to be with his family. But Falco stayed with Fox, especially with what happened between him and Krystal.

She approached Fox, asking for him to quit being a hired gun and live a safer life. A life she would happily start up with him. But Fox couldn't. He always had "What if…" on his mind. With that she knew her chance to be with the only person she ever loved ended. She didn't make a scene of it. She just simply…left.

Once Fox received news that Krystal disappeared he went on a drinking binge. He made the same mistake twice. Only a fool would do that. Months went by until Falco approached him and sobered him up. Fox blamed not only himself but the thugs of Lylat. Had there been no crime he'd be with Krystal right now. He and Falco both knew what type of work bounty hunting involved but neither backed down.

For two years Fox and Falco kept up the façade of being mercenaries, hiding their true ambitions. They were respected but refused to associate with other known bounty hunters. They refused to give out anything related to their name, simple telling employers to call them "Alpha" and "Omega." No one knew of Fox and Falco's double life, at least until they got a call from a certain someone.

* * *

"**Forgotten Love Returns" **by Zewing

**Prologue:**

Nothing stirred aboard the mercenary ship. Compared to _Great Fox_ the only things this ship had was a lower cost of operation and more maneuverable. Aside from the bare essentials for every ship this one had three bedrooms. No lounge, no exercise facility, no excess space. The kitchen usually doubled as a lounge but even then it took a long time to adjust to.

Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi made this ship their home. Upon commandeering this ship from a previous bounty, Fox disbanded the notion of having a Captain aboard it. Seemed only fair since a crew of two had potential disasters if one held all the authority. That and Fox secretly did this to ensure Falco wouldn't abandon him like he did after the Lylat War and Aparoid Invasion.

An alarm blazed throughout the ship, waking the vulpes and avian. It was a pre-call alarm. Only a select few contacts could set this off. With haste both of them got up, dressed, and hurried towards the bridge. Once both were at the bridge did Fox accept the call.

The face of an aged hare popped up, belonging to the one and only General Peppy Hare of the Cornerian Army.

"Nice to see you Fox and, surprisingly, Falco. Didn't expect you to still be on the team." said Peppy looking at Falco in disbelief.

"Up yours old man." Falco said bitterly. Disrespecting a senior officer, let alone the General of Corneria, would normally be a problem in the mutual relationship Star Fox had with Corneria. But Peppy used to be a part of Star Fox so Falco got away with this remark, at least for the time being.

"Long time no see Peppy. How're things holding up?" asked Fox happily, ignoring Falco's comment. It's been two years since he talked to Peppy.

"Well when you get to be my age things don't hold up anymore." Peppy chuckled. This caused Fox and Falco to shutter at the mental images that none of them were too proud of imagining.

"Filthy bastard. What do you want from us?" asked Fox trying to keep his stomach in check.

"Quick to the point I see. Before I go into the job details I need you to answer a quick question for me. Are you and Falco bounty hunters now?" Peppy knew the answer and the shock on both of their faces proved just how right he was.

"How the hell do you know?" the shocked avian nearly shouted.

"You doubt me and my intelligence staff? I have my reasons Falco. So tell me what you've been up to the past two years." responded Peppy trying to keep this conversation going on longer. He knew these two were capable of the job but he needed to know just a tad bit more.

"Ok Peppy I guess it won't hurt to tell you." Fox started before he took a seat and continued, "Officially we're still mercenaries. With the lack of any major conflict or Venom pissing others off we've been on the low end of jobs. Escort missions are really the best we've been provided with. So me and Falco decided to step into the bounty hunter gig. The pay is solid and we finally get to shoot stuff. Most of the time it's drug kingpins, illegal arms suppliers, corrupt politicians, you know the down right scumbags. As far as I know the general public doesn't know of our other side and I would like it to stay that way."

"I understand completely Fox. Would be quite a hassle on business if the famous Star Fox started claiming bounties. Just wondering have you ever been asked to capture someone?" asked Peppy in a fake innocent way that caused the vulpes to smile.

"Not really but if the pay is right I'm sure we can handle not killing someone right, Falco."

"As long as the pay is good it's fine by me." replied Falco nonchalantly.

"Good. I'm sending you a file with the details. Look it over and I'll contact you again within the hour. I promise you the pay will be worth it." With this Peppy ended his transmission before Fox and Falco could even consider the offer. An alert sounded, letting Fox know that a file has been sent to him and as such decided to open it and display it on the holo-screen where Peppy's head used to be.

In front of both he and Falco flashed the image of their target with information on the side detailing the person of interest.

Name: Unknown

Alias: Kursed

Age: Unknown

Sex: Female

Species: Vulpes

Fur Color: Silver base with a hint of blue

Muzzle Color: Unknown

Hair Color: Unknown

Eye Color: Unknown

Height: Approximately 5 feet 7 inches

Place of Birth: Unknown

Occupation: Bounty Hunter

Current Location: Titania

Additional information: Subject is a biased Bounty Hunter who completes 100% of the jobs assigned to her. All subjects that died by her were suspected of illicit activity. Known to be aggressive and unwilling to talk. No records of transactions taken nor any information on past employers.

Almost immediately upon taking in all this information Falco spoke up, breaking the long silence between them.

"KURSED? What the FUCK is Peppy thinking? Ain't no way that bitch is gonna come in easily. Bounty hunters hunting bounty hunters. Fuck this."

"Falco calm down." Fox said as he had the same feeling but didn't want to say anything until Peppy's side. He then continued, "Let's wait till Peppy gets back to us. He better have a solid excuse for wanting to involve us with her."

* * *

Fox began thinking a lot about this Kursed character. She took jobs similar to them, which could mean she uses the same employers. Not a risk worth taking though. Questioning certain employers could land a bounty on your own head. Still he had respect for what she did. Fox had an idea as to why Peppy wants Kursed captured but that idea seems too crazy to be true. Still he had to bring it up next time he chimed in.

The fact she was a vixen made it harder to believe in Peppy's motives. Her fur color indicated she grew up Fichina, a cold and harsh planet. Hard to believe someone who grew up and used to such a cold climate would be so willing to go to Titania, a very hot climate.

Most silver furred vulpes became an instant target for movie producers, circus performers, exotic photographers, and talk show hosts just due to how rare that fur color came to be. So why did a silver furred vixen have little to no information known about her?

A sudden beeping interrupted Fox's deep thinking. Without even a moment he accepted the alert and spoke up, "Ok Peppy we reviewed this info. Just what are you thinking asking us to bring in Kursed?"

"Isn't it obvious? She has the same motives you and Falco have. I'd be more comfortable with her under your supervision than out there all alone. Besides she's a vixen. Shouldn't be too hard to get her in the sack if you know what I mean." said Peppy winking at the suddenly nervous Fox.

"Hey hey stop that Peppy. Wait you want her part of Star Fox? Have you completely lost your fucking mind?" said Fox stumbling over his own words.

"Since when have I ever been wrong in my life? Do you not trust my judgment?" said Peppy.

"No Peppy it's just that, well, she's a fucking bounty hunter. None of them are trustworthy. What are you hiding from me?" Fox put on a suspicious look.

"Listen Fox I don't have much time and I certainly cannot give you much more information than I already have. So let us discuss the pay. 500,000 credits if you accept the job. 5,000,000 credits if you capture her alive. And finally all costs of repairs will be my treat. Is that sufficient to your liking?" confidently stated Peppy He knew his offer would be hard to refuse.

To say Fox and Falco were overwhelmed is an understatement. 5,000,000 credits just to go out and hire a new team member is ludicrous. Peppy had to be withholding something. Was she a spy? Either way Fox had to say something to break the silence.

"Peppy if you don't mind me asking, how did you know we were bounty hunters?" asked Fox still in disbelief.

"Rumors been going around about a vulpes and avian bounty hunting team. But each time we got photos we dismissed the notion it was you two. But I had a strange feeling still so I checked in on Slippy, asking if he gave you some sort of device that altered your colors. At that time he told me about his little color pills. Needless to say we compensated him and almost confirmed our suspicions of you two. You confirmed it by admitting it in our talk earlier Fox." smiled Peppy.

"Ok Peppy. Just don't tell anyone please. I think we got all the info we need." stated Fox.

"Good. If she dies then your pay will be zilch. She's a valuable asset in more ways than you know. I'd set course for Titania as soon as possible. Who knows how long she'll be on that planet. Good luck and happy hunting." Peppy's image dissolved into nothing mere moments after he finished talking.

They both stayed in their respective seats and looked at each other in disbelief until Falco started muttering to himself.

"Five million….Five fucking…..FIVE MILLION FUCKING CREDITS!"

"It seems to good to be true Falco. Just….holy fuck." said Fox still overwhelmed.

"Who gives a flying fuck. We get the money. You get to tap that ass. Everyone's a winner. I'm setting course for Titania now." exclaimed Falco ignoring the sharp look Fox gave him.

They'd make it to Titania within eight hours. Plenty of time to assess their situation and formulate a plan. Without further talks they began their trip across Lylat.

* * *

Peppy chuckled to himself, having just ended the transmission between him and Star Fox. His plan worked to a charm.

"She goes after the same scum. Her fur color is rare. She's careful but not perfect. Things may get bad at first but I'm sure Krystal will come around and forgive and forget. I just hope she's not too caught up in this "Kursed" mentality."

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**Ok this is just the prologue. I plan on working on this sparingly until my other story gets finished. To see how I'm depicting Kursed's fur color, just google "Russian Silver Fox." Another thing I want to include but this story will not be focused on the character portrayal of Kursed. Once I get the next chapter up you'll see where I plan on taking this story. ********PM me if you got questions about this story. **I also recommend you take a look at "**Bille and the big bad Wolf" by NyteGale. **


	2. Chapter 1: Titania

**The first part of this chapter is detailing why I'm using Titania. Assume that nothing significant happened on Titania during the Lylat War, Aparoid Invasion, and Anglar Blitz.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox.**

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**Chapter 1: Titania**

Sand, sand, and more sand. These are the defining features of the surface of the planet known as Titania. At first glance no one in their right mind would even consider making the planet hospitable. It held no known water sources or even soil to grow food. So why is the planet now teeming with people?

Titania had a population of three hundred up until five years after the Lylat War (5 ALW). The only inhabitants were archaeologists, people dedicated to learning from relics found buried beneath the surface. Excavation of the planet dates back to twenty years before the Lylat War (20 BLW) and results were, at least to a historians point of view, successful. Pottery, jewelry, tools, and remains were praised findings as they told a story of how advanced and sophisticated these people lived.

However, around 3 BLW, archaeologists made a new finding that breathed life into how these people died. No known space crafts existed for these people, nor did any metal or laser projectile weapons exist. So upon discovering laser scorched sand and shrapnel did the notion of mass extermination come into light.

Excavation continued as many questions still remained. Were they truly wiped out by a more advanced people? Are we sure there aren't any known space crafts the inhabitants could have used? Those questions, as important as they were, would be put on hold for quite some time as 7 ALW proved to be the start of the planet's rise in popularity as a new mineral was discovered. When utilized properly it formed into a substance stronger than the strongest known metal, yet at the same had only a fraction of the density. 7 ALW marked the discovery of Carbon Fiber ore.

Two planets formed a pact once word and samples of this mineral reached them. Corneria and Macbeth agreed to work with one another as each had something the other desired.

Macbeth is a planet rich in minerals. Not as lively looking as Corneria but, like every civilization, the people adapted to their surrounding. The surface of the planet was rougher, but underneath it held minerals required to make many weapons, crafts, and home items. No planet had more experts knowledgeable and skilled in mining than Macbeth.

Corneria, on the other hand, had no need to mine as they simply imported from other planets. It allowed them to keep their planet looking as green and lively as ever, but they had an issue as unemployment rates were at an all time high.

The two planets had something the other needed; Macbeth had the knowledge to train workers, whereas Corneria had the workers. Both wanted the Carbon Fiber ore and, after long negotiations that had Macbeth leaving with more ore than Corneria, both sides agreed and started sending people to Titania.

* * *

The desert planet of Titania came into view for Fox and Falco. Eight hours of travel resulted in boredom once they assessed their equipment and their plan. Like every mission prior, they did a double check.

"All right Falco we're ten minutes out. Let's go over the plan one more time. What are you taking with you?"

"I'm taking my trusty blaster as usual and two pressure grenades. Not like we're there to kill," replied Falco.

"I'll do the same. Always nice to have some firepower, just in case," said Fox. Unlike standard grenades that explode to kill anything in close proximity, pressure grenades released, well, high pressured air. While not lethal in nature, it will send anything flying upon impacting or in proximity with sufficient force.

"I still don't like the idea of packing light, especially when we're dealing with another bounty hunter." Falco's concern showed, but then again the odds were in their favor and Fox had solid reasoning behind packing light.

"I understand Falco, but listen. I've done research on Titania while you were busy touching yourself. The planet is relatively safe. Bringing in any more than what we're taking would only lead to problems. I'm confident our little vixen won't be packing much either," he smiled, confident that this would their easiest bounty yet.

"Ok so weapons check out. Now for the plan. Once we locate her, I get to do the smooth talking. If she's gonna be part of the team, it'd be a good idea to let her in on just how valuable she is. I'll offer her one million credits. No doubt she'll refuse it so when that happens you walk up and pull a blaster on her." Falco stated the plan. Not the greatest plan but capturing a highly dangerous target instead of killing said target was foreign to both of them.

"Glad we're on the same page. Let's take our color pills and head on down there. The sooner we get done, the sooner we get paid and get to mingle with our new teammate," said Fox. He was still a little bothered about recruiting Kursed, but Peppy never let him down in his life. Without a second thought he spoke up to Falco, remember exactly what Peppy told him earlier.

"Um hold on Falco, wait just a moment," he began, causing the avian to stop. Once Fox saw this he continued, "Change of plans. I sweet talk her. You provide backup."

"Sure thing bud," said Falco, smiling. After a brief moment he quickly added, "Just remember to thank me later for changing my role in this."

"What exactly would I be thanking you for?" Fox questioned, having no idea what Falco was getting at.

"For letting you break the ice with the vixen. Just try keep it down later. These walls aren't soundproof ya know." Falco chuckled, and the embarrassment could be seen on Fox's face.

With their joking aside, serious planning aside, and their color pills taken, the bounty hunting team of Alpha and Beta began the process of registering a landing spot on the surface of Titania.

* * *

_This is nice. Here I don't have to worry about being a hunter. Here I don't have to worry about others being scared of me. Here…. I can relax. Had I known this planet could be so soothing I'd have made my home here years ago, instead of on that shit-hole of a planet, Kew. This planet is devoid of all that I've come to despise. This is a prime example of what I wish could happen to the galaxy, but that's a wish that won't ever come true. There's always someone out there causing trouble. First morning on my new home. Now what oh what shall I…_

Her thoughts were cut off as an object out of nowhere connected with the side of her head. She stumbled a bit, mostly out of surprise, and instinctively went for her blaster. A sound, rather close, reached her ears and she swiftly twirled in the direction, only to be met with a small red spherical object bouncing.

She sighed and, after calming down and putting her blaster away, started walking towards the object. She picked it up and noticed its texture; it was made of rubber and had a round shape, which caused her to identify it as a basic playing ball. _Only a ball. No need to get so worked up. _

"Um miss, can I have my ball back?" said a voice that caused Kursed to spin around. He was a young fennec fox, probably nine or ten years old. He only wore white shorts, understandable since the temperature became slightly uncomfortable hours ago. His fur and muzzle was a very light tan.

He was nervous and, most of all, scared. He didn't mean for the ball to hit anyone. The ball just took a bad bounce and ricocheted off the wall. His head still looked down in fear of being scolded, but then he noticed his red ball in front of his eyes being held by two paws.

"Here you go. Please be a little more careful next time," she said. Her voice was gentle, not a trace of anger, and that shocked the fennec. He looked up and noticed how unique she looked.

Silver fur. Never before has he seen a vulpes of that color. Her hair had a pure silver look, lacking the blue under shading of her fur. Her muzzle, surprisingly, wasn't white; Quite far from it too as it was black. She wore loose fitting blue jeans and a light gray t-shirt. Like the fennec, she dressed for the rather hot climate, but didn't want to reveal too much of herself. The fennec took her figure in and, before she could notice his staring, spoke up.

"Thank you miss and I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, blushing at the vixen before him.

"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen and you apologized. I'm not mad at you. Besides, it's too nice of a day to feel bad," she said, flashing him a smile to show him everything was fine.

He felt a lot better knowing this vixen wasn't hurt or even mad, but his nervousness never left him. He wanted to just go back and play with his ball but his legs wouldn't move. He now had his red ball rested against his chest, wrapped by both his arms. His head lowered yet again, which got her attention.

"What's wrong? I'm not hurt I assure you that."

Could he say it? If he wanted to move from that spot he'd have to. He didn't know why his legs failed him, but if he stayed there too much longer he'd risk worrying the vixen. He decided he waited long enough and spoke up.

"N-Nothing's wrong. It's just….it's just that you're very…..you're very pretty miss," said the fennec while he twisted his foot and shifted his attention to the ground. She seen his blush as visible as day before he got the chance to look away.

Kursed was taken back from this compliment. Everywhere she went for the past two years she's been eye candy to everyone. Every day someone wanted to get in her pants. She could tell they never had true compliments for her. Their motive of lust was enough of a turn off for her. They never used words like beautiful, pretty, or gorgeous. No, they stuck with the words that defined their lifestyle and lack of respect. They would call her sexy, hot bitch, hot stuff, foxy lady, and such.

He felt warmer all of a sudden as two silver furry arms wrapped around him, bringing his head close to her chest. The shock of this embrace caused him to drop his red ball and do the only thing that seemed natural, which was to return the embrace. He didn't feel scared anymore, but when he looked up at her he noticed she was shedding tears. Was she lying about the ball hurting her?

"Miss, why are you crying? I thought hugs made people happy, not sad."

"I'm not sad," she began, wiping the tears from her eyes and backing away from the fennec. After a sniffle she continued, "It's just that I haven't had many people say such nice things to me in a long time."

"Well, I don't think you should go ten minutes without someone calling you pretty," said the fennec, smiling.

"You're such a sweet kit," she said, smiling at him. As much as she loved his company she really had to find a saloon, or some place in similarity. Saloon's are one of the main sources, at least in her experience, to get to know information about a town or planet. She asked the fennec, "Hey, do you happen to know of any places nearby where I could get a drink?"

The fennec just pointed in the direction of Kursed's original direction of travel before getting struck by the ball. "Lenny's Pub." he said.

"Thank you," she said and, before starting towards the pub, retrieved and handed the ball back to the kit. She continued, "Now I'd get back to your home if I were you. We don't want your mother worrying now, do we?" Both waved their good-byes, happy to know they've each made the others day much better.

* * *

Kursed only had to walk eighty-five meters until Lenny's Pub stood before her. Without hesitation she stepped inside, noticing how odd the pub looked.

There, in the middle, stood a circular bar. Two people would serve drinks while in there, each covering half the circle. Each half of the bar held six round chairs. On the left and right ends of the pub stood a half rectangular bar each. One person would man one, serving up to ten people at once. This style was a clash of cultures. Macbeth style pubs had multiple circular bars, whereas Cornerian style pubs had only one large rectangular bar. On the far end stood a small raised stage, which currently held a pianist playing his piano. Scattered everywhere else was a plentiful of four person round tables.

Kursed had only one option to sit and that was facing the entrance while sitting at the circular booth. No one currently resided at that booth, but on the left rectangular booth sat three people, chatting it up with a server. The pianist played music that felt so soothing to her ears.

She took her time getting to the seat and, while enjoying the intoxicating music, noticed someone cleaning up the unoccupied rectangular countertop took notice of her. He started to put away his cleaning supplies while he started talking to her.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" he asked, taking gloves off his paws. He seemed like a friendly fellow. He was a fennec, which made sense since fennec's made up a dense population around desert areas, especially a desert planet.

"Sweet tea." At this point the fennec noticed her unique fur color and figured today would be unlike any other. It was rare to see arctic-dwelling vulpi on Titania, especially the silver furred kind.

He returned shortly, taking his spot on the other side of the circular countertop, and sat the drink down in front of her. She had her right arm propped up on the countertop, fist curled against her muzzle while she stared at the pianist with great interest. Before he could speak, she started talking, "I've never heard someone play the piano before."

"You've never heard the delicate sound of a piano being played? That's pretty shocking if I say so myself," he said, causing Kursed to stir and direct her attention towards the fennec.

"Shocking? Why? I'm under the impression that pianist are quite a hard find here in Lylat." Kursed knew piano players were hard to come by, especially since they hardly played their songs for cheap. Now that she thought about it, what the heck was a pianist doing in a pub of all places instead of a high class restaurant?

"Oh no, they are quite a rare treat. It's just that, well, a silver furred beauty such as yourself surely has to have been invited to elegant parties and such," he chuckled.

"Just because I look like this doesn't mean I live a life of luxury," she said, taking a drink of the tea and relishing it. She continued speaking as she turned to face the pianist, "While I may look like I should live a luxurious life, I can only wonder why he isn't."

"It's a long story. You'll probably get bored just listening to me talk about it."

"As long as he's playing, I won't get bored," Kursed said, taking another sip of her sweet tea. The fennec went and got another sweet tea and sat it next to his customer's glass, signaling to her it was on-the-house.

"If you got time to burn, well, then so do I. Things here don't start picking up for at least another hour or so."

"Hmm what causes this place to change drastically?" she asked.

"Well, 13:00 is when morning shift ends for the miners. 13:45, however, is when Joel up there begins playing his piano while he sings." This drew a surprised look from the vixen. It's hard enough to find a piano player, let alone one that could sing at the same time.

"So I take it he's just warming up until then?" she asked.

"Correct. Now you ready to hear his story?"

"I'm all ears Mr…," she said, wanting him to fill in the blank.

"John. Just call me John. And what may I call you?" he asked. She didn't see the harm in giving him her name, especially if she wanted to start a new life here.

"My name is Kursed and it's a pleasure to meet you John," she said, shaking his hand. _Kursed? You just had to tell him that name? Stupid stupid stupid. This is a new life. You want to leave that one behind. I'll just fix that later, but for now I just can't get enough of this music._

"The pleasure is all mine. It's not every day you see arctic vulpi on a desert planet," he chuckled, thinking of the irony before continuing, "Now let's begin this story shall we?"

Kursed took another glance at Joel, wondering about his past. Maybe she could befriend him later on. Maybe he could teach her to play. Either way she really wanted to hear him sing and play at the same time. A story would make the time go by that much quicker.

* * *

**I didn't make Kursed as a "everything is lost the world is too cruel to enjoy" like in most stories. As you can probably tell she hates being a bounty hunter and wants to live a new life. I don't know if you guys will like these changes I've made but if every story had the same representation of each character / personality, then what would be the point in using your imagination?**


	3. Chapter 2: The Search Begins

**So yeah long time but here's another chapter. Things are still going slow, but next chapter things will happen so bear with me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Search Begins**

"This heat is killing me," complained Falco for the third time already.

"Yeah, well I ain't doing too well over here either," began Fox, admittedly uncomfortable. He then realized what species of vulpes he appeared to be and continued, "I look like a dumbass with this white fur."

"What are you talking about? You look like a dumbass all the time," Falco said, chuckling at the only comfort he could find in this heat.

"Fuck you."

The two man team of Fox and Falco finally reached the surface and immediately started their search for Kursed in the blistering heat. As with every other bounty hunt, both undertook several necessary precautions.

Falco, using the alias "Beta," stared down the streets of the only populated town on Titania; the locals unoriginally named it Titania City. Falco's color pill changed his feathers to have a black dominate base with his chest being white. He sported sunglasses, black jeans, a white undershirt, and a black jacket. Concealed underneath his jacket were two pressure bombs. His blaster, however, remained visible to all who could see him, letting others know not to question his awkward choice of apparel.

Fox, using the alias of "Alpha," stood next to Falco, observing the little activity that went on in the streets. He too took a color pill, which made his fur change to a snowy white color. He wore blue jeans, a sleeveless black undershirt, and a white jacket. He concealed both his pressure bombs and blaster underneath his jacket. He also kept a watch underneath his jacket, both to keep up with the time and to eliminate reflected light. That…and he always wanted to do a "time" pun before he reached their target. The watch had it all: stylish, operation synchronizing, and humor.

"How do we know she's in this city?" asked Falco.

"You know, one of these days you're gonna' have to deal with intel yourself and I won't be there to do it for you," said Fox, squinting at his watch, which read 12:05 Titanian Standard Time (TST). He continued, "This is the only city on this planet; it's the planet's hub. People live here for the most part and socialize. Since this planet is mostly known for it's miners, they leave this city and return after one of three shifts. Kursed will only be in this city, unless she has a craving for dirty, muggy mining." Fox chuckled at the last part.

"So I take it these town's folks will have seen an out-of-place looking vixen walking down these streets?" Falco questioned, trying to hint to Fox his idea on how to start searching.

"Yup," replied Fox.

Fox and Falco walked down the many streets and occasionally stepped into specific buildings: stores, motels, hotels, bars, etc. It was a simple question to ask the residents.

"Have you seen a silver furred vixen?" repetitively asked Fox and Falco to anyone that they could get a hold of. The responses varied, from polite to arrogant.

"No I haven't."

"Buzz off."

"Get away from me."

"I'm sorry sir, but you're the only arctic vulpes I've ever seen."

"Is she hot?"

"I have, but you won't hurt her, will you?" responded a young fennec.

With a stroke of luck, they only had to ask around for about seventy minutes. Only a few miners made it back to the city, simply due to the fact their mine was much closer to the town than the others.

The young fennec had the information they needed, but Fox noticed he had a nervous look. He'd have to appear as friendly as possible. His objective was to try to harmlessly capture her, but realistically things hardly go as planned. Fox had to fabricate a lie, and his fur color gave him an idea.

"Now why would I hurt my wife, young one?" replied Fox in a calm voice.

The fennec looked surprised and asked, "She's your wife? But you have white fur."

Fox chuckled, "Silver fur is a very rare color to have. She's one of the few vixens in the entire known universe with that color. I grew up with her and one thing is for certain." Fox bent down and got a little closer to the fennec, about to whisper into his ear, "I wouldn't trade my life with her for anything."

The fennec smiled at this, lightly wondering if he could make even more friends today. Before he spoke he looked over the two people before him. The white vulpes didn't appear threatening, but the avian had yet to be looked over.

"Who's that," the fennec asked, pointing towards the avian.

"That's just a friend of mine." The fennec didn't take his eyes off him as he looked him over. His eyes trailed him from the top of his head to his waistline, as he wouldn't proceed any further downwards. On his waist, a blaster hung for easier access and the fennec only stared at it.

"He has a blaster," said the fennec, nervously pointing towards Falco's waist now. Falco looked over at Fox, hoping he'd think of some reason to bail him out.

"He won't hurt anyone. He just likes to have some sort of protection when we go to new places," Fox said, sporting a grin.

The fennec felt more at ease. His mother and father were fennecs just like him, which caused him to assume that only vulpi of the same species and fur color would be attracted to one another. Come to think of it, he has yet to see any non fennec couples in his life. He was about to give the white vulpes information on his new friends' whereabouts, until he remembered something she said.

'_It's just that I haven't had many people say such nice things to me in a long time.' She looked incredibly sincere with this. How can someone so beautiful and caring possibly be so… um… what's that one word? Oh yeah, neglected. That means this guy doesn't care about her as much as he's telling me. Maybe she's trying to get away from him? Does he not call her pretty? What if he hurt her? Why would you do that to someone you love? _

The fennec went from having a pleasant and curious demeanor to one of anger. He spoke in a harsh tone, "Do you even love her?"

Fox and Falco were surprised at this sudden change in his voice. Fox spoke up, putting on his most sincere look, "I love her with all my heart."

"LIAR!" he shouted, stomping his right foot on the ground. He continued, "She told me that no one compliments her anymore. She's beautiful and you don't appreciate her. I call my mommy pretty every day, just like my daddy does. I always let her know how much she means to me. She always smiles and hugs me afterwards. You don't deserve to have a wife you selfish jerk."

At this point the fennec began walking away from the two. Heads spun around to watch the cause of the disturbance during his rant. Fox and Falco had absolutely no idea what just happened and, after processing things for a moment, turned and headed down the street again with dumbstruck faces. They were both back to square one.

"What the fuck just happened?" asked Fox in disbelief.

"Hey, you're the one who said she's your wife. The kit probably woulda' been more cooperative if you just said we were here to kidnap her," said Falco, laughing lightly, but then put on a emotionless face as he remembered he'd have to spend more time looking in this heat.

Fox still had a confused look on his face when he felt something hit the back of his head, "GAH!"

Both twisted around fast to find the source of the attack. Bouncing away from them was a red ball. The kit could be seen just past the ball with a still angry look, "Stay away from her you jerk." The young fennec didn't bother to get his ball as he just ran back to his home.

Confusion added to his own confusion as Fox could say the only thing he could think of, "Seriously, what the fuck?"

* * *

"General, I have confirmation that the ship you asked me to keep an eye on has now been granted access to land on Titania," said Carroll, standing inside the doorway of her director, General Peppy Hare. She maintained the General's calls, appointments, and, occasionally, made small talk.

Carroll was a golden-brown furred Labrador of thirty-five years of age. Prior to becoming General Peppy's secretary, she monitored incoming and outgoing traffic for Corneria, as well as worked closely with the army, tracking down targets of high value. When Peppy took over as General of Corneria, he needed to replace a few staff members, mostly those who would be working close to him. Fortunately, one of his Lieutenant General's put in a letter of recommendation for Carroll, which, after looking over her resume, gave Peppy a few ideas on how to make use of her skill set.

She didn't complain about her promotion, but some days she would wonder how she got lucky enough to be working for one of Corneria's most prominent figures, while others she'd wonder when she'd ever get home at a reasonable time.

"Excellent. I knew hiring you for more than your looks was a good idea," chuckled Peppy, getting a smirk from Carroll. She was taken, but knew he didn't think of her in a perverted way. Peppy was about to get back to his paperwork when he noticed something odd; Carroll still stood in the doorway. He spoke up, "Is there something else you wanted to say?"

"I've done a little more research on this ship you asked me to keep an eye on," she began, crossing her arms, "I've noticed that every time the ship lands on a planet, someone dies. These aren't just nobodies that die though, they're some of Corneria's most wanted. Aside from that, it uses military transmission codes to settle down on a planet without identifying itself any further."

Peppy looked at his paperwork stack and sighed; he could use a small break. He placed his pen on the table and put his hand out to Carroll, "Have a seat and shut the door." She did as he said. Once in the chair across from his desk, Peppy spoke up in a serious tone, "What we discuss now doesn't leave this office. Do you understand?"

Carroll nodded her head and spoke without hesitation, "Yes."

Peppy put his hands together and spoke, "That ship belongs to the only remaining members of Star Fox. After Fox retired _Great Fox II, _he gave me his new ship's transmission number."

Carroll's eye widened at this, causing her mind to frantically race at one of the most absurd ideas she ever had. She slammed her paws down on Peppy's desk and spoke, "Are you telling me that you've converted Star Fox into bounty hunters? You know that's illegal."

"No Carroll, I only recently figured out they've been doing this," said Peppy. He continued after a brief pause, in which Carroll regained her composure and sat back down, "I asked you to warn me of their approach to Titania for a very peculiar reason. I assure you, no one is going to die." _At least I hope she doesn't kill him heh._

"What reason could that be? If it's not to kill someone then what reason could you have?" she asked.

Peppy stood up from his desk, turned around, and looked out his window. His office currently resided on the one hundred and twenty fourth (124th) floor of Corneria's Foreign Policy building. He handled Foreign disputes for the most part, while Corneria's Senate dealt with domestic issues. Ultimately, Peppy kept check on all issues that arose on Corneria, but Foreign Policy remained top priority for the time being.

He looked upon his reflection in the window and reminisced about his time he spent with his wife, Amelia. They had a daughter that reminded him every day about his wife. He couldn't imagine what life would have been like without the support and love she gave him. She met with a cruel fate at the hands of an unknown disease. Before Carroll could ask the question again, Peppy spoke up, "Carroll, what is love?"

Carroll looked baffled at this question directed towards her. Without a moment of thinking she spoke up, "I know what love is, but why are you asking me?"

Peppy sat back down and looked Carroll into the eyes with an intense glare. He spoke up before she got uncomfortable, "Was there ever a moment in your life that you ever thought love was out of reach?"

"Never," she said instantly. She elaborated a little more, "I met my future husband and not once did we separate. Me and him raised our little ones and provided them with love every step of the way."

"Was your husband the first person you ever had relations with?" asked Peppy.

"Yes. Me and him were meant to be." she said.

"Well Carroll," he began, putting his two paws together, "Not everyone is as fortunate as you are, and Fox McCloud is the perfect example. Tell me, do you know how many times I had to sit down with him and explain to him that love will always find a way?"

Carroll couldn't possibly know this answer. After a few brief moments Peppy spoke up, "Not even I know the answer," he started, getting an interested gaze from Carroll. He continued, "Being a surrogate father, I convinced him to share any and all personal problems with me. He's just like any other person out there, wanting to form relationships and see if that person is their life mate. I thought after his first three relationships he'd given up, believing no one out there is fit for him. That was, until he met Krystal."

"Three? Was he just throwing himself out there and trying his chances?" Carroll asked.

Peppy chuckled, "When you're riding the popularity of Star Fox after the Lylat War, you hardly have to lift a finger to get someone to date you."

Carroll tried to speak up when she was interrupted, "I'll tell you about those three later. For now though, focus on Krystal."

"But sir, Krystal has been missing for the past two years," she recalled.

"Oh really?" he began, raising an eyebrow to her, "Then why do both you and I know of her exact location?"

"I-I don't understand, sir."

"She WAS missing for the past two years," he began, trying to bring this talk with her to an end. He continued after a moments pause, "Today, though, you told me that Star Fox is now on Titania. Now, why would I send Fox to Titania when his objective is NOT to kill someone?"

She pondered this question a bit, but then caught on to what he was doing. "Are you trying to tell me that you're setting up Fox to meet up with Krystal?" she asked, flashing the General a smirk that easily replaced her once confused look.

"Guilty as charged," he began, looking back at the stack of papers on his desk and then his desk clock. According to the time, which read 19:55, Carroll would be leaving in a few minutes and he still didn't have enough time to finish his stack of paperwork tonight. He began to speak again, "I'd continue this talk, but I wouldn't want to keep a man from his beautiful wife."

"Sir, I'd very much like to hear more about this. I've grown up with stories that are so fake that only a child would believe it." She really did find fascination in this scenario Peppy set up, but she wanted to know more about their relationship. Unlike her and her husband, Fox had to go through three relationships and some odd circumstances with his fourth. She wasn't one of those obsessive fans of Star Fox that knew every detail of his life, but she did keep tabs on the team when asked to and occasionally saw them on the news.

Peppy really didn't want to keep her any longer, but he knew Carroll wasn't a typical secretary ; she performed her job admirably ever since he became General. Without hesitation he could call Carroll a true friend. If she wanted to listen to him, then he'd be glad to comply. Besides, Peppy always did love to tell others about his days with Star Fox, especially to those who had unselfish motives. Eventually, he'd publish an autobiography. Tonight, he'd share a small piece of that autobiography with his friend.

"Call your husband and let him know that you'll be a little late home," Peppy said. Carroll started to leave the office to go to her desk when Peppy spoke again, "Would you care for a drink?"

"As long as it doesn't contain alcohol, I'll gladly accept what you give me," she told him as she took her seat at her desk outside his door.

Peppy acknowledged her request. He had a miniature fridge in his office, directly next to his desk. Both of them wouldn't be drinking alcohol tonight for different purposes; Carroll had to drive home and Peppy didn't want to risk looking drunk in front of the public, regardless of how strong he knew he could hold his alcohol. He got himself and Carroll some sweet tea. Had this been a formal meeting, he would have poured the beverage into a crystalline glass. Instead, bottled would have to suffice.

He found tonight's circumstances much more relaxing than usual. Typically, he'd be setting up meeting, filling out foreign requests, and putting the entire weight of Corneria on his shoulders. Tonight, he found himself telling a story to someone with no selfish motive that not many people have ever known about in their lives. People speculate and spread rumors, but Peppy knew each and every one were false to a certain degree.

His desk clock now read 20:00. Ever since the Anglar Blitz, him and his staff had to put up with longer workdays. Eventually, probably in a year or two, he would be able to cut back how much extra time his current staff had to output. Everyone would benefit from this, but he smiled as Carroll and her husband would benefit more from this than himself. She'd always be home with just enough time to see her family off to bed, but nothing else. _He must be devastated to know she'll be home late, _thought Peppy.

Carroll returned and took her place across from Peppy's desk. He spoke up, "So, how did he take it?"

She couldn't say exactly what her husband said to her, so she put out a small lie to Peppy, "A little sad, but I did mention to him that it's the weekend starting once I get home," she said. _What did he say? Oh you know, that you're a bastard and shouldn't be working me this hard. He just misses me, that's all. Or is he jealous of me spending time with the General? Who knows, but thank goodness it's Friday._

Peppy handed her a bottle of tea, which she graciously accepted. He then focused his attention on her as had one final piece to say before he got into his past, "Carroll, I understand how he feels. I promise that in a year or two at most, we will not have to be working this late. Three wars occurred in the past thirteen years; two of them happening in the past five years. We need to rebuild and come together, but people are relying on us to get them back on their feet."

"I understand and I don't fault you for making us work so much. Reconstruction takes time, let alone a system wide reconstruction," she began. After both recognized they were a bit antsy about waiting, she spoke up again, "So about that story?"

Peppy nodded his head and started, "Save your questions for when I request them. This is about a part of Fox's life that the media has poorly portrayed. Remember, Krystal is our main subject for today. The others I'll get to some other time. This may take an hour or so. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Peppy smiled and took a sip from his own bottle of tea. As much as he loved telling stories, he had to wonder if her husband would get even more aggravated when he told Carroll about Fox's first three relationships later on. Undoubtedly, he would be angry for keeping her later than usual and say things he would regret, causing both him and Carroll to potential fight amongst one another. He had a plan to keep them both on good terms with him; but for now, he had to entertain his friend.

* * *

**You'll be seeing more of these Carroll and Peppy scenes later in this story. For now, just remember that Peppy is only a second hand source. Fox and those being talked about know exactly what happens. I'll be covering Titania, Peppy Hare, and a 3rd scene throughout this story. That 3rd scene, however, won't show up for at least 2 more chapters.**

**Edit: Added a little bit more info about Carroll. I would have put it in next chapter, but it'd make more sense to do it now.**


	4. Chapter 3: Kursed, with a K

**So yeah have another chapter. I'll be working on this story and another one at the same time, so I'll try to keep waiting times down. Check my profile page for the other story I'm working on, which is a Sly Cooper one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Kursed, with a K**

"Kill me. Kill me. Put a blaster up to my fucking head and blow me away," whined Falco for what seemed like the fifteenth time today. His complaining still targeted the heat.

"Jeez, how about we take a vacation to Fichinia. Won't that cheer you up?" Fox sarcastically asked, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Are you kidding? It's colder than space there," Falco replied, remembering how much he'd rather have his limbs attached than become frostbitten.

Fox shook his head and muttered, "There's just no pleasing you, is there?"

"Not unless you find a swimming pool on this hell-hole of a planet," Falco stated, already imagining himself doing laps in a pool.

"I knew I should've….hey, what's going on over there?" Fox questioned, pointing towards a building that had many people walking into it. Both approached the establishment and looked it over. "Lenny's Pub. Could hold information now that there's actual people inside, unlike the last ten establishments." Fox was, of course, referring to his initial search tactics for finding Kursed. Maybe this place held their answers, for at least it had their best odds now that people were present.

With both nodding to each other, they took a step inside the packed establishment, observing the scene before them.

On stage, a man played a piano, most likely for entertainment. On both ends of the bar, the table counters were packed with customers, children and adults alike. Almost every round table was packed with people playing cards or having a nice time. In the center, an odd sight pierced Fox's eyes. Never before has he seen a vixen like this, barring his own experiences he shared with Krystal; but those days were behind him, unfortunately.

She was unique, and stunningly attractive. Without a doubt, this had to be Kursed, their target. No one sat beside her, which immediately alerted the vulpes that she was packing, and let you know of it before hand.

While still observing her, he came upon a sudden realization; she was observing him too. He signaled discretely to Falco, telling him to go left and blend in, while he approached the booth his target sat at.

He approached from the left side. As he got nearer, he noticed her blaster rested on the same side he was approaching. Obviously, this meant he'd have to sit on the other side of her, so as not to cause her to become paranoid. This left him exposed, as his own blaster would be within her reach.

He sat down next to the vixen and signaled for the server to come closer. Once he obliged, Fox spoke up, "I'll have a fruit punch cocktail," Fox ordered.

"I can't do that, sir," replied the server, who was the same fennec talking with Kursed earlier. He continued, "When we have kids here, alcoholic beverages are not allowed to be sold or consumed."

Annoyed, but still keeping his composure, Fox make another demand, "All right then, I'll have some water then."

The server did as instructed and placed a glass of ice water in front of the second arctic vulpes he's ever seen, sitting directly next to the first one. What strange circumstances befell him, but it's best to keep on a straight face and not make his customers uncomfortable. Another person signaled for the fennec server, which left Fox alone with his target.

"My my, quite odd to see someone with your fur color on this planet," said Fox, directing his attention towards his silver furred target.

"I could say the same thing about you," Kursed said, not bothering to look anywhere but straight ahead. She didn't want to bother with him, but she did find it quite odd to see a white furred vulpes on this planet.

"Excuse my rudeness," Fox spoke up, resting his left arm on the table and facing her. He continued his introduction, "My name is Alpha."

Upon hearing his alias, she decided it would be a bad idea to ignore him. She gazed upon his figure and noticed how relaxed he appeared. He sported a slight grin and had what she could assume to be a blaster on his waist, nearest to her. She knew his name, but never got a chance to see him, until now.

"Kursed, with a K," she said, spinning around to face the pianist, Joel, while resting her elbows on the booth behind her.

She didn't feel threatened, especially with them being in a public place with children present. The place was packed and bustling with noise, which allowed the two arctic vulpi to converse into more detailed topics.

Seeing that she knew he wasn't here for a one night stand, she spoke up, "It's nice to finally meet you, Alpha. Tell me, is that your partner in that corner, trying to win a quick credit in a game of blackjack?"

Fox immediately looked into the corner and, just like she said, saw his partner sitting with a few people playing blackjack. He replied, "That's him alright. He goes by the name Beta, but asshole is just as effective."

The vixen chuckled lightly and reverted her attention directly towards the arctic vulpes, "I know who you are and what you do. However, just so I know my facts, let me ask you a question."

"I'll play this game if you let me ask you a question afterwards," said Fox.

The vixen nodded and spoke, "Are you the same Alpha that assassinated the Secretary of State of Macbeth, who allegedly ran an underground child sex trafficking and drug operation?"

"Only if you're the same Kursed that killed General Leon D. Sanchez of the Venomian Army, who allegedly ran a concentration camp that killed hundreds of thousands during the Lylat War," responded Fox in a smug way.

Kursed chuckled lightly, confirming him to be who she thought he was. She spoke up, "It seems we both act alike, isn't that something?"

"Not really," he began, which caused the vixen to look at him intently. He continued after taking a small drink of water, "There's three types of bounty hunters in this business we indulge in. Being similar is hardly a rarity."

"There's the greedy immoral scum that do anything to make money," he said, causing Kursed to remain silent until he said his piece. He continued, "Trained or untrained, anyone that can point and shoot a blaster has the potential to make some cash. Unethical, unorganized, immoral, and a menace to society. These people are no better than common trash littering a highway."

"Then there's the code ridden bounty hunters. Money isn't a drive for them, but how their actions are viewed or how they contribute drives them. Some only help specific planets, armies, or take down targets of similar natures. As long as you have some sort of comprehension on what you want to be viewed as, then you give yourself an image. A bounty hunter with an image holds more value and trust."

Fox drank the remaining amount of water and motioned for a refill, which John obliged. He then went to the other side to attend to other patrons. It felt extremely odd to go about his daily duties, but everyone in the bar was a fennec, except the two arctic vulpi, an avian in the corner playing cards, and the pianist, who was almost ready to begin his show. As hard as it was to not ignore them, he had a job to do.

"These code ridden bounty hunters can be immoral or moral," he continued his second point, letting the vixen know he still had things to say. For some reason, she found him to be a bit professional sounding, even with the knowledge that he's been a bounty hunters almost as long as her. He continued, "I'm going to give you two names and how they go about their job. Tell me which one is a code ridden hunter and I'll pay for your drinks; you have nothing to lose."

Kursed grinned at this little game he wanted to play. She looked at his partner in the corner and found it comical he was losing to a little fennec girl at cards; they must have switched to Go Fish. She understood they weren't here for a simple talk. Their reason would be revealed sooner or later, so she simply nodded at him to continue.

"Ruby," he began, giving the first of two accounts. He continued, "She targets any name given to her, mostly, coming from loan sharks to kill uncooperative investments. She breaks their legs with any blunt object before putting a bullet through their head. Working with loan sharks gives you quite a bit of income, especially with their mafia connections."

Kursed inwardly grimaced at this, imagining the horrifying experience they'd go through as she took a drink of tea.

"Then there's you," he began, which completely took her off guard and nearly caused her to choke on her drink. He continued before she could speak up, "You only target specific kinds of people. You don't stick with any specific killing method, unless otherwise told to. As far as I know, you have some sort of honor code to follow."

_Well….he sure made this an easy game to win_, Kursed thought.

"I'm no idiot, but if I say me, then do you pay for my drinks?" she half seriously asked.

"Oh I'll pay for your drinks," he said, grinning. He did have a point at his little game and continued, "But what if I told you that Ruby did what she did because she hated her life; and, while unable to fix her life, decided to help others out too?"

"Excuse me?" Kursed asked, a little baffled at this. From what he just described, she would be on a one way ticket to hell after she died. Help? What does breaking the legs of people unable to pay off a loan shark be helping?

"Listen and you shall receive an answer," he began, taking a drink from his glass again. After she got done eyeballing the vulpes and relaxed a bit, he continued, "Ruby was a desk operator for her local police department. The hours sucked and the pay wasn't as good. Her own father shunned her for not making the actual police force. Isn't that sad?"

"No matter what she did, she couldn't please him. Frustration is hard to get rid of, and swinging a piece of metal against an inanimate object helped a little. I'm not sure how, but one day someone from the mafia noticed her swinging and asked for her services, with great cash benefits. That night, she swung that metal against an actual person. She didn't kill him, but the man liked what he saw and wanted that to be a theme for those who didn't pay their loans off."

"So, after a few 'message jobs,' her employers asked her to turn it up a notch and kill them too. The pay increased substantially."

"One thing about her, though, is she knew a thing or two about detective work. If you can't explain your income, you're susceptible to suspicion. She'd keep a small amount she got from each job, but do you know what she did with the rest?"

"Enlighten me," Kursed said, not wanting to appear too interested.

"Anonymous donations, ninety-five percent of which went to children's hospitals and churches," he replied, which baffled the vixen. She just sat there, letting this information sink in. After what seemed like minutes she had to wonder why he was telling her this.

"What's the point of this?" she asked.

Fox chuckled and responded, "I told you there were three types of bounty hunters. I covered the unruly, scum of the earth ones. I then covered code driven bounty hunters such as yourself. However, there's a third type."

"Escapists," he said. Kursed knew exactly what this was leading to and unconsciously bowed her head down in shame. This went unnoticed by the vulpes as he continued, "When the real world becomes too much to bear, we simply find something to occupy our time. We continue to push through the difficult parts of our days, but once that's done we occupy ourselves in mindless, sometimes dangerous occupations."

"Some people revert to watching old movies. Some watch odd videos for hours upon end. Some even read stories or books, imagining what it'd be like to replace their own reality with that one. Then, there's people like Ruby, who do these odd end killings to keep herself from going insane, or simply killing herself." Fox paused a moment before wrapping his point up, "Everyone has some sort of escape. You're a liar if you deny otherwise."

She didn't care how he got this info on Ruby, but the way he talked about her made herself wonder if he too was using bounty hunting as an escape, like her. There were more ways to classify a bounty hunter than what he told her, but these three must have significance.

"It's time," said a voice that almost caused Kursed to jump. This was John, who wasn't in either of their conversations.

"Time for what?" asked Fox.

Before anyone could speak, windows were being closed and sealed to prevent light from entering. A light then shone upon the stage, making an orange furred feline the center of attention.

"It's time for the show," replied John.

* * *

"We received a call from the then General Pepper to investigate a disturbance on a nameless planet, promptly called 'Dinosaur Planet' by the General," Peppy said, starting to tell his story to Carroll. He continued, "We were desperate for a job and hastily agreed to do this. The objective was very clear; we had to prevent the planet from exploding."

"I handled aerial surveillance and sent digital maps of certain landmarks to Fox. All my life I've taken a fancy to maps, so naturally I stuck around on the team and did my best, even if I couldn't use an Arwing anymore."

"Shortly into the mission, Fox told me about his experience with what he claimed to be a Krazoa spirit, which told him to gather all the Krazoa spirits to save an innocent girl from death. This innocent girl happened to be the very same Krystal, who, fate would have it, had her dangling hundreds of feet inside a Crystalline prison when Fox found her for the first time." Peppy and Carroll tried to play this off as serious, but Peppy was the first to laugh, followed by Carroll.

Still laughing, Carroll spoke up, "What are the odds? Oh my! I really can't wait to read your autobiography now."

"Now now Carroll, I still need more time to get that finished," Peppy began, calming his laughter. He finished his statement, "Now that we had a good laugh, let's continue, shall we?" Carroll nodded, but still had a smirk on her muzzle.

Peppy cleared his throat a few times and continued, "Now, remember, we still had a mission to complete. At the end of every day, Fox was required to call me, mostly because I was worried about him being all alone on this mission. He's a grown man, but I won't ever stop being a father to him. Are there any questions you may have now?"

Peppy began to drink some of his tea while he awaited a question from Carroll. Shortly following his question, she spoke up, "So who all partook in this mission? No offense, but a two person team, one of them being a map handler, does not save a planet."

Peppy chuckled at her accurate perceptiveness. He thought for a moment and replied, "That's quite a good question. I assisted in navigations, as you know. Slippy gave detailed analysis about certain problems Fox faced. General Pepper kept pestering Fox to get on with the mission as well as help relay certain mission objective to him. Falco, however, was not part of Star Fox at the time." He took a brief moment to pause and gather his thoughts again and spoke, "We also had help from the many natives, Prince Tricky being the biggest help, and nuisance." Peppy chuckled at the fond calls he'd get with Tricky in the background.

Carroll simply crossed her arms and raised and eyebrow, "So a team of mercenaries and a prince stopped a planet from blowing up? Do I look like a child, General?"

"Carroll, you are correct. At the time, however, we believed we were making progress. Tell me, would you believe me if I told you that Andross himself stopped the destruction of the planet?" Peppy simply smiled as he told her this, awaiting for her reaction.

Absolute confusion beamed from Carroll. Before she could speak up, Peppy continued, "I'll get to that later. For now, though, we still needed to continue with the mission. We needed three more spell stones, which allowed the concentration of magic energy to stay in check, further preventing the destruction of the planet. On top of that, we needed to find the remaining Krazoa Spirits to save Krystal which, unknown at the time, would be needed to further amplify the effects of the spell stones. Now, even with the long trek across the planet and dealing with magic, Fox would not stop talking about her every time he called me."

"He had a drive, something that made the hardships worth it. It wasn't money, no, it was this girl. This girl, who never looked upon his face, nor spoke a single word to him, captivated his attention and became his driving force. You see, a blue vixen happens to be the most rare thing in this universe, and for a reason that's difficult to comprehend."

"Do you have any more questions, Carroll?" asked Peppy, once again taking a small break to drink some tea.

Carroll wanted to ask something once the word "magic" was uttered, and now was her chance. She cleared her throat and asked, "Did this 'magic' happen to be real, or was it just an unexplained phenomenon?"

Peppy twisted the lid back on his bottle and spoke up, "Yes, this magic happened to be real. I was skeptical at first, but further talks with Krystal confirmed it. Think of this magic like a super charged gravitational force. Without any effort to keep it in check, it would overflow and destroy the planet from within, due to the planet's relatively small size. These spell stones controlled this supernatural force."

After taking in what he said, she asked another question, "Where else can this magical force be found?"

"As of now, only on Sauria, which is the same planet we're talking about now. We believe that the Krazoa system has more planets with this magical force, but until reconstruction is near complete, I won't authorize any search crews."

"This is…sorta hard to grasp, but I won't argue. I'm ready to listen again," she said, processing this magic information.

"All right," he began, relaxing back into his chair. He continued, "To keep this story from being too long, I'm just going to get right to it. The next week went by and Fox managed to get all four spell stones to help control the magical force. However, it became apparent from the prince that the Krazoa spirits were needed in conjunction with the spell stones."

"Fox did as instructed and managed to get every single Krazoa spirit to help save the planet. However, this was all a ploy by Andross. You see, he manipulated Fox by using the girl as a means for him to track down the spirits. She nearly died when he freed her, but he caught her. However, Fox didn't free just Krystal; he resurrected Andross unknowingly."

"Somehow, he came back to finish what he started. To wrap this portion up, Fox fought him with the help of his returning wing mate, Falco. Fox saves a world, he gets paid big money, and he wins a girl. Does this sound like what the media portrayed this incident as?" Peppy asked Carroll and she simply nodded slowly. He continued, "Well, they're wrong about him getting the girl part. Contrary to popular belief, saving the life of someone doesn't automatically make them reward you with endless amounts of sex."

"I think that's good for a few minutes. Questions?" Peppy asked. He now told her about the first time Fox met Krystal.

"This is so much to take in," she began, sounding a bit overwhelmed. She continued, "Magic? Revival of the mad man responsible for so much destruction so many years ago? Being asked to a high school dance pales in comparison to this." She was referring to how she met her husband.

"Don't feel the need to compare how you met your husband, Carroll," Peppy began, giving her a stern look. He continued, "You found him, you got to know him, you love him. Never, ever, judge your relationship with another."

"I know," Carroll said, not ready to end this little point she wanted to bring up. She spoke again once she took exhausted her breathe, "It's just that, well, I grew up being put to sleep with fairy tales. I know you're telling the truth, but this feels just like one of those farfetched stories."

"I understand, but no matter how you start out, love will always be worth it," Peppy concluded, nearly exhausted, but still willing to continue his discussion. He then got up to stretch and spoke up, "Give me a few minutes. Gotta loosen up these joints before I need someone to airlift me from my chair just to leave."

Both lightly chuckled and decided to loosen up by stretching. Carroll now understood how they met and Fox's initial reactions towards the vixen, but how did they start a relationship? She'd get her answers soon enough, but once again, her thoughts drifted towards her husband. The poor thing's probably mindlessly watching television and constantly keeping a lookout just for her.

She didn't want to stay much longer, but something conveyed her to stay. Peppy didn't sound like he was going to stop, but both were surely exhausted.

_I'm sorry for making you sad, but I'll be home soon and we'll have the weekend together. Just give me a little more time_.

* * *

**Next chapter, shit happens. That'll all I can say to describe it. Slow start to the story, but I like it so far. I'm also trying to up my standards on how long I make a chapter. When I started 2K was hard to attain, but for this story I want nearly 4K per chapter. Next chapter will be worth it. Thanks for sticking around with me and hope you enjoy what I plan on doing with this story. **


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